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Bradley, Illinois facts for kids

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Bradley
Location of Bradley in Illinois
Location of Bradley in Illinois
Location of Illinois in the United States
Location of Illinois in the United States
Country United States
State Illinois
County Kankakee
Township Bourbonnais
Area
 • Total 6.93 sq mi (17.95 km2)
 • Land 6.93 sq mi (17.95 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
673 ft (205 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 15,419
 • Density 2,224.32/sq mi (858.87/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Code
60915
Area code(s) 815/779
FIPS code 17-07744
GNIS feature ID 2398163

Bradley is a village in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. It used to be called North Kankakee. Bradley is like a smaller town right next to the city of Kankakee.

In 2010, about 15,895 people lived there. This was more than the 12,784 people who lived there in 2000. Bradley is an important part of the Kankakee–Bradley area. This area includes all of Kankakee County. It is also part of a bigger region that includes Chicago and other nearby cities.

Geography of Bradley

Bradley is in the middle of Kankakee County. The city of Kankakee is to its south. The village of Bourbonnais is to its west.

Interstate 57 goes through Bradley. You can get on or off the highway at Exit 315, which is Illinois Route 50. I-57 goes north about 56 miles (90 km) to Chicago. It goes south about 76 miles (122 km) to Champaign.

In 2010, Bradley covered about 7.24 square miles (18.75 km2) of land. There was no water area.

History of Bradley

Bradley started in 1891. It was first called North Kankakee. This was because the David Bradley Plow Works built a factory there.

In 1895, the town changed its name to "Bradley City" to honor the factory. Later, it became just "Bradley". For a long time, Bradley was a town where many people worked in factories. The Kroehler furniture factory and the Roper stove factory were big employers. Roper was part of Sears, Roebuck.

In the 1980s, many factories in the Midwest closed down. This happened in Bradley too. After the factories closed, parts of them even burned down.

But things started to get better by the end of the 1980s. In 1989, a new shopping center called Bradley Square opened. Wal-Mart was the first store there. More shops soon followed. Then, in 1990, the Northfield Square Mall opened.

Population of Bradley

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 1,518
1910 1,942 27.9%
1920 2,128 9.6%
1930 3,048 43.2%
1940 3,689 21.0%
1950 5,699 54.5%
1960 8,082 41.8%
1970 9,881 22.3%
1980 11,015 11.5%
1990 10,792 −2.0%
2000 12,784 18.5%
2010 15,895 24.3%
2020 15,419 −3.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

In 2000, there were 12,784 people living in Bradley. There were 5,041 homes. About 3,382 of these were families.

The average home had about 2.49 people. The average family had about 3.03 people.

About 26% of the people were under 18 years old. About 13.4% were 65 years or older. The average age was 34 years.

Places to Visit in Bradley

  • Northfield Square Mall

Industries in Bradley

CSL Behring has a large factory in Bradley. This factory makes medicines from plasma. Plasma is a part of blood.

In 2018, the company announced big plans to make the factory even larger. This expansion could take up to twelve years to finish. They bought land nearby that used to be a cooking oils factory. The old factory closed in 2015.

The new project will create over 200 jobs. It will cost about 450 million dollars to build.

Monical's Pizza also has its main office in Bradley. This pizza chain has restaurants in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

Transportation in Bradley

River Valley Metro offers bus service in Bradley. These buses connect Bradley to other places in the Kankakee area.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Bradley (Illinois) para niños

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